Culturally responsive teaching in question: A multiple case study examining the complexity and interplay of teacher practices, beliefs, and microaggressions in Germany

Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) is viewed to promote equity, yet critics argue it may be tokenistic, resembling liberal multiculturalism without encouraging critical thinking and anti-racism. Seeking to understand CRT complexities, a multiple case study design including structured observations and interviews with five secondary school teachers in Germany, explored the interplay of CRT practices, teacher beliefs, and microaggressions. CRT practices varied, while teachers perpetuated deficit- and racist ideologies and often overlooking structural causes. Classroom microaggressions perpetrated by teachers went unrecognized (as problematic) in post-interview reflections. Our research emphasizes the need to reposition critical thinking as its foundation for promoting equity in classrooms. • We examined the interplay between culturally responsive teaching practices, teacher beliefs, and microaggressions. • We conducted a multiple case study among five teachers in eastern Germany. • Observed culturally responsive teaching practices were largely incongruent with teachers' beliefs of student differences. • Microaggressions, perpetrated by teachers, were observed, and often went unrecognized in post-interview reflections. • Our results highlight prioritizing critical consciousness in culturally responsive teaching frameworks.